For more than 100 years, Lossiemouth locals tread the wooden boards of the East Beach bridge to reach the golden sands.
During that time the crossing became more than a landmark, but a symbol of Lossie life wrapped up in countless memories spanning generations.
Together, the wooden staves carried a huge symbolic meaning for the community.
Now demolished, the wood is no longer part of a bridge, but has been reduced to just 4ft wooden planks – complete with green mould, crooked nails, decades of wear and tear and sand from the Lossiemouth dunes.
It may no longer carry people, but it still carries all the emotion the community has attached to it.
So much so, that when the Lossiemouth Community Development Trust offered up the chance for people to get a piece they weren’t short of takers.
And in exchange £960 was put in buckets for donations to the local Ladybird Group, which helps children with additional needs.
Enough wood had already been set aside to build two benches, one to stand where the old Lossiemouth bridge was with one overlooking the new bridge.
We joined people collecting thewood to find out their plans for their own piece of local history, and within just two hours all 150 pieces had gone.
Garden reminder of wedding day
Jonny Finbow was one of the first in line to carry off his own piece of the bridge.
The RAF Lossiemouth serviceman, who lives in Findhorn, intends to send it to two friends who have now moved away but still have the town in their heart.
When they were married in 2010, the bridge was centre stage for their wedding photos.
The couple, who now live in Lincolnshire, could see the crossing from their home at the time and were keen to incorporate it into their big day.
The wood is now destined to form the first step in a garden path at the home of their parents to remember the big day.
Mr Finbow, who was best man for the wedding, said: “After the wedding service we all headed down from the church and lined up across the bridge.
“The bridge was very special to them, because they could see it from their home.
“They moved up here because they are very outdoorsy people and the bridge was part of that.
“This is a present to them to mark what was a special day.”
An electric guitar
During lockdown, Luke Wright developed a hobby for crafting electric guitars out of wood from various second-hand sources.
Old telegraph poles have been used along with discarded worktops and tabletops.
Now the Huntly resident wants to use the old Lossiemouth bridge for his latest project to gift to his father-in-law, Bill Morrison.
Mr Morrison, originally from Portgordon, now lives in Lossiemouth with his wife Sandra, who was born and bred there, and has photographed the bridge throughout his life.
And Mr Wright hopes to emblazon one of those pictures onto the guitar as part of the project, which he expects to take about a year.
He said: “It’s been a big part of his life. He took pictures of it in all seasons. He watched the new one go up, and the old one come down.
“It’s going to take a bit of work. The most important thing is getting it dry enough.
“The wood is going to need to be cleaned up, and I’ll have to try and get the nails out, but I’m not going to fill the holes because I want the story of the bridge to be in the guitar.
“It’s just scrap wood at the end of the day but it’s got a story to it. With electric guitars it’s about how good the electronics are, so it should sound as good as any other electric guitar.”
Memories for families fighting cancer
When charity Logan’s Fund opened a respite caravan for children fighting cancer in 2016, the proximity to the beach and the bridge was one of its main attractions.
The cause was inspired by the story of Logan Main, who was only able to spend four nights at home in the last 11 months of his life before he died when he was three.
Families from across the UK have now been able to enjoy quality time together at the Logan’s Sunny Days caravan.
And being able to enjoy the beach has been one of the main benefits of the stays.
Chris Main, Logan’s father, and Lachlan, 11, Logan’s brother, collected two pieces of the old bridge – one for their own home and another to be put up in the caravan.
Mr Main said: “It’s part of the heritage of Logan’s Fund.
“Using the old bridge was an important thing for the families using the caravan.
“It’s quite sad seeing the old bridge the way it is now. The new bridge is brilliant but it’s a shame they couldn’t have done anything with the old one, it was unique.
“It’s important having the new bridge though because it means families can get back to the beach.”
Engravings
Douglas Robertson was collecting wood for Keith-based Colin Hunter, who runs a business Caskart making sculptures from whisky barrels.
The retired policeman hopes to craft wood creations from the Lossiemouth bridge to sell to raise money for a local cause.
Mr Robertson, who stays in Elgin but worked in Lossiemouth for 23 years, said: “I don’t really know what Colin has in mind for them, maybe something bridge related.
“The bridge was a cultural landmark, it’s iconic.
“It’s something I ran across as a kid, it’s something that everyone here has grown up with.”
Hot tub memorabilia
Stuart Farmer moved to Lossiemouth in 2002 when he was posted to the north-east with the RAF, but began visiting the area in 1987.
The bridge quickly became an integral part of his family’s new life in Moray.
And the veteran stopped off with his dog Gunner to collect two piece of wood, including one for his son.
Mr Farmer said: “For me, it’s going to to become a feature in the garden.
“We’ve got a hot tub so it’s going to go next to that with other memorabilia from over the years. I’ll give it a clean and try to get the nails out, if I can.
“My son can do whatever he wants with his bit. We moved here in 2002, and the bridge has been in his life ever since then.
“The bridge was iconic. When you think of Lossiemouth, you think of the bridge.”
‘I have no idea’
Most people collecting their piece of the bridge freely admitted they had absolutely no idea what they were going to do with it.
It is believed the last wood on the Lossiemouth bridge was installed during a refurbishment in 1995.
So for anyone wanting to embark on a woodwork project, there’s probably better stuff available elsewhere.
However, many just wanted to make sure they claimed their own piece of a local landmark to keep at home.
Al Carle, from Lossiemouth, said: “I knew they were giving it away, and I always try to support the Ladybird Group, but I think the main thing was I didn’t want to miss out.
“I suppose I was worried that everyone was going to have a bit in their back garden and I would be the only one without it.
“I’ve been in Lossiemouth for 15 years. It’s a shame they had to get rid of it, but I understand why.
“I used to sit under it and it was covered in rust. The last time was probably for the last raft race and you could see the rust falling off it.”